Toothbrush



Patented Mar. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

My invention relates to brushes for cleaning teeth.

The main purpose of my invention is to adapt a tooth brush to receive a tablet or other charge of cleaning material.

A further purpose is to construct a tooth brush having an opening into which a tablet or charge of cleaning material is inserted, to be held in the space or shed formed by the bristles oi the brush.

A further purpose is to provide a closure to hold a charge of cleaning material within the space formed by the bristles of the brush, preferably forcing the charge through the body of a brush into position for most advantageous use.

A further purpose is to mount a hinged cover upon the body of a hollow tooth brush.

A further purpose is to provide a resilient plunger fitting within an opening in the body of a tooth brush and adapted to force a charge through the brush body and hold the plunger in position.

Other purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved tooth brush, showing the cover in closed position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1, but with the cover in open position.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing a tab,- let charge in the brush.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2. 1

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5, but showing a. charge of cleaning material in a variant form, in place inside the walls formed by the bristles of the brush.

Figure 8 is a perspective view similar'to Figure 2, and showing the adaptability of the brush for easy cleaning.

Figures 9, 10 and 11 are fragmentary perspective views of. modified forms.

handling dentifrice in powder and tablet form and will also hold and apply any of the .dental cleansing materials including the paste. Not only will it. apply all of these to better advantage and with less waste than present brushes My invention offers an excellent means of but it makes possible the preliminary charging of a dental brush with a dentifrice, tobe given for use by a child, for example, so as to get beter results from a childs application than would be possible if either'the adult or child attempted to apply the dentifrice for the child to existing brush.

The waste of dentifrice in present application is objectionable not only because of the money loss in dentifrice paid for and not used but because the actual charge intended to be applied to the teeth cannot be relied upon but is partly lost during application or subsequent to application to the brush and before the brush is used in the mouth.

Many dentists and individuals object to the use of paste for dental purposes because of the presence in it of glycerine which they believe takes up the moisture and consequently dries the gums. It interferes with the normal secretions of the mouth and is believed to be a cause and. aggravation of various diseases of the mouth.

My invention is directed, therefore, both to the convenience and reliability of application,

whether the dentifrice be in tablet, finely divided, or paste form-and to the permissible avoidance of paste by those who object to the paste.

My invention comprises primarily a dental brush having the bristles arranged about the rim of the brush body and hollow at the brush center and having an opening through the back of the brush to receive cleaning and treating materials, using a suitable cover or closure for the opening. v

. The brush proper is indicated at 10 in the drawing and comprises a handle 11, and a bristle holding body portion 12, forward of the handle. The bristles are indicated at 13. The body portion 12 is apertured to provide an opening 14 passing entirely therethrough. .The bristles 13 are arranged entirely around it and are pitched at slight angles so as to come tog'ether at their outer ends. This arrangement of the bristles forms a tapered chamber 15 in which the dentifrice 16 is held, after being passed through the opening 14 in the body portion.

For convenience in mounting a cover for opening 14 a second opening 1'7 is located in'the body portion of the brush between the opening 14 and the handle 11. This opening forms a receptacle for one end of cover plate 18 which terminates in a hinge 19, adapted to swing with-' 'llO may be pushed forward well into the space between the-bristles. This is considered to be quite an advantageous feature and may be used in all of my forms except that of Figure 11. However, in order to show that the invention may be applied without pushing the charge through the brush body, the modifications of.

Figures 9, 10 and 11 are shown without this feature. The form of Figure 11 particularly is not well suited to carry a plug which extends any considerable distance into the opening in the body of the brush.

In the modification shown in Figure 9'the frictional engagement by which the closure of the opening is held in place is in the form of a pin 22 fitting into a hole 23 in the brush and having surficient frictional engagement with it to prevent accidental release of the parts. In the form shown in Figure 10 the pivotal axisextends along the side of the brush where ears 24 support a pintle 20' about which the cover or closure turns. The'closure 18 carries an inwardly turned flange or 'roll 25 which springs over and clasps the edge 26 at the side of the body of the brush.

In the form shown in Figure 11 the cover 18 is in the form of a slide embracing the edges of the body of the brush. It may be made of metal or of a non-metallic material, such as celluloid, for example, and may be of spring material if desired (again either metallic or non-metallic-such as celluloid), to improve the frictional (holding) engagement with the sides of the brush body.

The practice of my invention will not interfere with the use of any desired shaping of the bristles, and their outer tips may form concave or convex contours or have any extensions or interruptions on their finished face.

The material embodied in the structure may be any of the conventional materials now in common use in the manufacture of tooth brushes, such as for example, bone, bakelite or hard rubber, or it may be of other suitable material so long as it withstands the frequent washings and is easily cleaned.

In operation the cover 18 is raised and a cake or tablet of compressed powder or charge of loose powder or of granulated material is passed through the opening 14 and into the space 15 between the rows of bristles. The cover is then closed and the plug 21 (comprising in the illustration the lugs 21) enters the opening preferably passing entirely through it and pushing the charge forwardly to any predetermined distance beyond the body of the brush and toward the ends of the bristles which form the brush.

The brush is then moistened and used in the regular manner. The water. and the friction of the bristles causethe cake or other charge to dissolve and the contact of the bristles with the teeth further permits the content of the cake to find its way through the bristles and out upon the teeth.

Notwithstanding that my invention is particularly designed to get away from the necessity for using paste, on account of the objectionable effect of the glycerine upon, the gums, it will be evident that paste could be used within the brush if desired.

In the forms of Figures 9, 10 and 11 the charging operation is the same as stated above except that no plunger or follower is used to force the material through the body of the brush.

After the brush is charged it is used in the regular way. It may'be moistened before or after or both before and after the charge is placed in position.

As shown in Figure 8 the cleaning of the entire content of the brush is facilitated .by the freedom with which water can be passed through the brush. In this illustration the plug 21 is not divided into lugs.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain part or all of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far asthey fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I 1

1. A tooth brush comprising a handle and a body potrion, bristles imbedded in and extending from the body portion, the walls of the body 110 portion surrounding an opening therein adapted to receive and pass a dentifrice and a plug fitting into the opening, having a pusher surface at its forward end adapted to force dentifrice through the opening and into the space between the bristles.

2. A tooth brush having an opening through the back of the brush into the space within the bristles and a cover for the opening having a projection fitting into the opening having a pusher surface extending across the opening parallel to the back of the brush and adapted to push material into the. opening forwardly between the bristles.

3. A tooth brush having an opening through the body of the brush into the space within the bristles and a closure for the opening adapted to enter the opening, and to extend beyond the thickness of the body out into the space between the bristles and freely removable from the opening, whereby dentrifrice may be introduced through the opening when the closure is removed and forced into the space between the bristles by application of the closure.

4. A tooth brush having an opening through v the back of the brush into the space within the bristles and a combined closure for the opening and pusher mounted to swing perpendicularly to the plane of the back of thebrush and to enter the pusher within the opening.

5. A tooth brush having an opening through the back of the brush into the space within the bristles and a combined closure for the opening and a. pusher mounted to swing perpendicularly to the plane of the back of the'brush and to enter the pusher within the opening, and through and beyond the outward face of the body of the brush.

6. A tooth brush having an opening through the back of the brush into thespace within the 150 bristles and a closure for the opening in the body of the brush extending into the opening and laterally springing against the sides of the opening to retain the'closure in closed position.

7. A tooth brush having an openingthrough v the back of the brush into the space within the tion and extending therefrom in such manner in the bristles in advance of the bristlerace of the brush body.

9. A tooth brush comprising a handle and abody portion, bristles imbedded in the body poras to form a chamber, surrounded by the bristles and having its base spaced from the body portion, the walls of the body portion forming an opening in registry with the chamber and a. closure for the opening, walls forming a tapered opening and a tapered pin carried by the ,closure and adapted to fit within the tapered opening.

10. A tooth brush having an opening through the back of the brush into the space within the bristles, bristles located outside theopenin'g and directediorwardly and inwardly to form ashed closed at the bristle ends, a closure for the opening hinged to the brush and swingable out from the back oi the brush and a pusher on the closure adapted to enter the opening.

11...,A tooth brush-comprising a handle and portion and extending therefrom, walls forming an opening in the back of the brush, permitting access to a space between the bristles, a closure for the opening pivoted to the brush, a pusher rigidly secured to the closure, extending .into the opening and engaging the walls of the opening in closed position and resilient means for retaining the pusher in contact with the walls of the opening.

a body portion, bristles embedded in the body 12. A, tooth brush comprising a handle and a body portion, bristles embedded in'the body portion and extending therefrom, walls forming an opening in the back of the brush permitting access to a space between the bristles, a closure tor the opening-pivoted to the brush, a pusher rigidly secured to the closure, extending through the opening and into the space between the.

bristles beyond the opening and engagingthe walls of the opening in closed position and resilient means for retaining the pusher in contact with the walls of the opening.

JAMES AnBo'rr. 

